19th-Century Meissen Porcelain Monkey
This beautiful 19th-century Meissen porcelain statue is a direct continuation of the great European fascination with monkeys that characterized the 18th century and the Rococo style. At this time, the monkey was no longer simply an exotic animal brought back from distant lands, but became a true satirical mirror of aristocratic society, used by artists to parody human behavior with irony.
Meissen, under the influence of brilliant sculptors, popularized these witty figures, often depicted as musicians, magistrates, or powdered courtiers, to mock the vanities of the Enlightenment. The presence of this monkey on its tree stump evokes this taste for fantasy and the strange, where wild nature elegantly enters the intimacy of the salons.
Meissen signature
19th century
Height: 34 cm
Width: 20 cm
